Newsletter August 2026

Thank you to all who attended the Demeter Annual Meeting. I hope you enjoyed hearing from our guest speakers, Debbie and George Crave of Crave Brothers Farm, and cele-brating the installation of our new board members. I want to especially thank Doug Max-well for his many years of service on the Demeter Board and Executive Committee. 

The board met in May to discuss upcoming events and potential goals for the coming year. I hope you have enjoyed some of these events such as the Garden Party at Allen Centennial Garden. Despite the rain delay, it provided the chance to connect with Demeter mem-bers. Our community is one of Demeter’s strong suits and the board’s goal is to continue growing. If you know someone who may be interested in Demeter, ask them to join you for the Corn Roast which celebrates the joy and value Demeter provides to CALS and the Madison community. 

I am thankful for the support and community Demeter has offered me during my time at UW-Madison. My first interaction with Demeter was as a scholarship recipient and a member of CALS student organizations that re-ceived club grant support. When asked to join Demeter, I knew I wanted to support an organization that values its community and students. 

I have appreciated this support in my leadership roles within Demeter and now as I transition into the next stage of my career. In August, I will become an instruc-tor at Utah State University within the Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences. I will transition into a tenure-track assistant professor position. With this move, I will be unable to give the president role the the attention it deserves. Sue Cowan has graciously agreed to transition from vice president to president and has the support of the Demeter Board. 

I will miss being able to connect with you all in person, but plan to keep my connection with Demeter. Thank you all again for your support. I am excited to see all the great things Demeter accomplishes this year. 

Megan Lauber, Outgoing President