Modern Farmer aims for newer agriculturalists

A spread from the fall issue (click for larger version)

A new magazine is trying to appeal to new types of farmers. Modern Farmer, which published its first edition in April, "is trying to benefit from the first signs of growth in the total number of farms since World War II and the farm-to-table food trend that has fueled growth for farmers’ markets and community-supported agriculture," Christine Haughney reports for The New York Times. For example, the magazine "offers advice on building a corn maze and articles on the effect of climate change on lettuce and oysters . . . It edges into the food-magazine sphere with luminous photography of vegetables, while articles report on straight agricultural topics."

The magazine, which has been sold in countries such as Britain, Germany and Australia, is attracting a wide variety of readers "who include an Amish farmer and vegetable supplier to Whole Foods, Brooklyn rooftop farmers harvesting kale and broccoli and myriad young farmers going back to the land," Haughney writes. Sean O’Brien, global director of footwear for the Original Muck Boot Company, told Haughney, “It’s really targeted almost a new consumer group for us. We sell a lot of boots to farmers and workers and outdoorsmen. You can look at a Modern Farmer as almost a hobby farmer. This a perfect vehicle to target that key consumer group.”

Founder and Editor-in-Chief Ann Marie Gardner, a former writer for the Times and Tatler magazine, "conceived the idea for a magazine in 2011 after she noticed that sources she interviewed for Monocle magazine seemed preoccupied by agricultural issues," Haughney writes. In spring 2012 she pitched the idea to investors, and by November had enough money to start a website and a print product. Traffic on the site "grew to 99,000 unique visitors in the United States in July, according to comScore. The first print issue sold 35,000 copies on newsstands and 13,000 by subscription." (Read more)