Multi Shelter Solutions owner now a published author

Feb 21, 2018

Over 40 years of learning went into the greenhouse book

By Ryan Ridley
Farms.com Branded Content

When Andrea convinced her father Norm he should write down his extensive knowledge of farm and rural structures, it didn’t take long before he was a first-time author and “So You Want to Buy a Greenhouse… Your Guide for Planning a Greenhouse Purchase” was in print.

“My daughter told me that if I gave her the ideas, she would take it from there,” explains Norm Eygenraam, who has operated Multi Shelter Solutions in Palmerston, Ontario for 12 years, and been in the industry since 1989.

“She came to me with a prototype, and I made a tweak to the focus of the book. We are presenting all the possible choices and pitfalls involved in buying a greenhouse –but we are balancing the dry tone and instructional aspects by sprinkling in some fun and interesting anecdotes about some of the crazy things that have happened along the way.”

Photo: Amazon

The $20 soft-cover book is 156 pages, with $3 from every sale donated to a local food bank.

That gesture is an indication of Norm’s belief that the link between the greenhouse industry and food groups is an important one.

He also invests in the industry by giving many presentations over the years, to farm and rural groups.

It’s those groups that are likely to find lots of useful content in “So You Want to Buy a Greenhouse… Your Guide for Planning a Greenhouse Purchase.”

Andrea works in communications and marketing at Multi Shelter, along with five other employees.

“She is the real writer,” having written a number of previous books, according to her father.

When asked about the possibility of future writing, Norm says, “I never thought I would have this book, so I have learned to never say never. Life is an interesting, curved pathway, so we will see where it takes me.”

The $20 purchase price of “So You Want to Buy a Greenhouse… Your Guide for Planning a Greenhouse Purchase” includes shipping. The book can be purchase online via Amazon. You can also call 519-343-2399, or email multisheltersales@gmail.com.

Top photo: Norm Eygenraam

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.