Customer Testimonial: Nick and Holly Thomson, Summerhill Farm, Balmaclellan

Posted: 16 October 2025

From This Farming Life to the fields of Summerhill Farm, Nick Thomson knows a thing or two about getting the most out of a hard day’s work

Nick and Holly Thomson run Summerhill Farm near Balmaclellan, part of Shimmer’s Farm, a family operation covering 1800 acres with 150 suckler cows and around 850 sheep, half Easycare and half Scotch Mule.

The couple were featured in Series 7 of BBC’s This Farming Life, with ten months of filming capturing their work on the farm and their family life.

“They were with us for three days every couple of weeks,” Nick explains. “It was a brilliant experience, the team were amazing and we were able to just be ourselves. We got a bit of stick from people but it was all in good spirit and the response overall was really positive.”

The show focused heavily on the father-and-son dynamic in farming and the challenge of balancing traditional approaches with new ideas.

“A lot of fathers have actually commended me for showing that dynamic. It opened up conversations between fathers and sons, which is great to hear,” says Nick.

The Thomsons’ Easycare sheep also became a talking point on the show, sparking real interest from other farmers.

“We’ve had so many people reach out about Easycares since the programme aired and it’s amazing to see that coverage making a real difference.”

Alongside the farm, Nick and Holly have recently launched Summerhill Farm Stays, with two beautiful lodges built by Iron and Pine of Dalbeattie.

“We started in December 2024 and we’ve had around 80% occupancy since. A lot of guests have actually booked after seeing This Farming Life. We even get people who book in for lambing time just to experience it!”

But at the heart of Summerhill Farm is a trusty CLAAS ARION 420, bought from David Lamont at Gordons in 2013.

“She’s a real battle horse,” Nick laughs. “It’s a high-hour tractor and she runs every single day. She does all the loader work, slurry with the umbilical, fertiliser, bales, the post chapper, moving creeps and crushers: you name it, she does it. It’s also our only tractor that fits the rowing-up machine, so it works the whole of silage too.”

Despite being over a decade old and having literally gone up in flames four years ago, the CLAAS ARION 420 is still going strong.

“I thought that was it, she’d have to go on the insurance. But no - Gordons Castle Douglas managed to put her back together. That’s just a testament to their service. They’ve never let us down. The team are very, very good and the parts department always seems to have everything we need.”

Nick sums it up simply:

“Gordons have been terrific to us. The tractor’s still running like a dream after all it’s been through and that’s down to the quality of CLAAS and the outstanding service we get from Gordons.”