Townsend did not invent the use of animal poop as fertilizer, or the use of specific animal poops to fertilize specific crops, or rotating crops, or the even combination of the two, unless we completely ignore agricultural practices outside of Europe and pretend that all agriculture was invented in Europe.
He was basically the Elon Musk of post-medieval agriculture: taking credit for the work of others because he marketed it (and himself) better than they did.
But he didn't even invent the 4-year crop rotation system; that was already in use in Holland when he introduced it in England. (http://www.saburchill.com/history/chapters/IR/003f.html)
He was basically the Elon Musk of post-medieval agriculture: taking credit for the work of others because he marketed it (and himself) better than they did.