North Carolina’s Daniel Fowler Wins 2025 Cotton Consultant of the Year
February 3, 2026 Daniel Fowler came from a family deeply ingrained in agriculture. His grandfather, Charlie Rogerson, farmed in Belvidere, North Carolina, and for much of his childhood, Fowler’s family either lived with him or next door to him.
“My earliest memories in agriculture are sitting on his lap on one of his old John Deere tractors and walking watermelon fields during harvest when I could barely pick them up,” Fowler says. “Also, my stepfather, Phil Winslow, was a branch manager and salesman for Helena in Courtland, Virginia. Both men were big influences in my life.”As a young agronomist out of college, Fowler was drawn to work in some of the largest cotton-growing counties in the state. “This area has consistently grown cotton and is where boll weevil eradication began with Marshall Grant, a cotton grower in Northampton County, nicknamed ‘Mr. Boll Weevil’ for his role in developing and promoting the Boll Weevil Eradication Program,” he says.
Fowler worked for two years as an agronomist with Larry Pendleton at Pendleton Crop Consulting out of Scotland Neck, North Carolina, before starting Fowler Crop Consulting, Inc., Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, in 2003. His first three clients were Mike Belch, Ellis Taylor, and Tommy Flythe.
“Those early clients were very good to me, and I would not be where I am today without them,” Fowler says. “I hoped I would do a good job, and word of mouth would help me grow some business. For my crew and I, it starts with getting weekly scouting data and implementing recommendations based on good thresholds. We also see each operation individually and help fill the needs we observe.”
Fowler feels fortunate to have worked for multiple operations that have had some generational transition, which is different for each farm family. With time and communication, he says the operation always improves as soon as all stakeholders find their footing.
Cotton grower David Grant, who farms with his son, Mark, and his son-in-law, Ellison Moore, in Garysburg, North Carolina, says, “Daniel has been our consultant since 2004 and is one of the most dedicated individuals I have had the pleasure to work with. He has been invaluable in helping our next generation make the transition to managing our family farm.”
Consulting Services Provided
Some services Fowler’s Crop Consulting offers include crop consulting, precision soil sampling, fertilizer prescriptions, state-funded nutrient management planning, Technical Service Provider, and small plot research.
“Daniel is adaptable and tailors his services to different clients, accommodating their needs and styles,” Lassiter says. “He offers as much or as little depending on the growers’ wants. Daniel and his team do one of the best jobs here in the northeast North Carolina and southeast Virginia cotton-growing region, a region which brings on different challenges compared to other parts of the Cotton Belt.”
Fowler says a typical summer day starts with a quick team meeting with his lead agronomist and scouts.
“We go over our routes in our scouting app and talk about issues to look for during the day,” he says. “I monitor their locations and check for red flags while I am working my route and completing rechecks behind others. I complete most of my reports during the evening.”
Fowler says he is fortunate to have a great team and to have worked with other excellent people during his career. His wife, Jennifer Fowler, is the office manager and so much more. Mark Coggins is the farm and equipment manager for the research farm. Jordan Francis is a lead agronomist who manages most of the Virginia clients and northeastern part of Northampton County. A.J. Kume is an agronomist and research assistant, and Clayton White is an agronomist working mostly on the research farm. Samantha Lilley Hoggard is another team member who handles all fertility data from labs and scouts during the summer, and Nathan Bennett works on research data improvement for the research farm.
“Will Connell is my on-staff mentor and keeps our constantly evolving scouting and soil apps up to date,” Fowler says. “We also have numerous summer and holiday part time college and high school guys who we couldn’t operate without.” Connell, a semi-retired crop consultant, has spent years observing Fowler’s professional journey and is impressed by what he has seen.
“Daniel has demonstrated a grasp of the science of cotton production as well as the practicalities of farming,” he says. “I think one of Daniel’s most important strengths is his resilience as a manager and leader. Any good advisor must be able to interpret the needs of a crop and communicate that effectively to clients in an actionable way.”
Importance of Industry Interaction
Fowler maintains that he is gratified by his relationship with other independent crop consultants in North Carolina, Extension specialists from NC State, and committed crop protection reps in his area.
He says the North Carolina Agricultural Consultants Association is a tight-knit group of which he has been a member his entire career. Fowler also credits Extension state specialists as the most vital positions in their fields for the local cotton industry.
“Shared knowledge among the members of NCACA is critical in helping me sustain my profession, and many of them have been important mentors to me” he says.
“Also, if you have good state specialists spearheading ideas and implementation of proven production practices, the whole industry rises. Committed crop protection reps in my area are also an asset. We have great give and take, and all of us are in it together ultimately for the producers.”
Guy Collins, North Carolina cotton Extension specialist, says, “In the instances I have observed, Daniel’s efforts are effortless, and he often ‘goes the extra mile’ to acquire practical and meaningful answers for his growers. He is a man of integrity and ethics, both as a person and a professional advisor and is highly respected amongst many university Extension specialists in addition to growers. His significant contributions to betterment of the cotton industry do not go unnoticed.”
Cotton consultant Stan Winslow, president, Tidewater Agronomics, Inc., shares Collins’ sentiments. “Daniel is highly respected by his clients and peers and
goes above and beyond to make sure his clients’ crops are properly managed,” he says. “Daniel has embraced ag technology and is an excellent source of advice on most technology problems. He is a true independent crop consultant.”
At the End of the Day Fowler says although agriculture can be a tough business, consulting is a rewarding career, “which we do because we love it.” When he learned he had been chosen as the 2025 Cotton Consultant of the Year, the North Carolina consultant says he was very surprised and humbled.
“Sometimes independent consultants can be a little disadvantaged in the marketplace because we don’t have anything to sell except ourselves,” Fowler says. “However, the responsibility I feel toward my clients and their families is not lost on me. Instead, it motivates me every day to do my best.”
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