Bombadil's reference to Farmer Maggot

Chapter VII book 1

...It no longer surprised them[the hobbits]; but he[Bombadil] made no secret that he owed his recent knowledge largely to Farmer Maggot, whom he seemed to regard as a person of more importance than they had imagined. There's earth under his old feet and clay on his fingers;wisdom in his bones, and both his eyes are open," said Tom.

I was flipping through a lot of the old Bombadil links regarding his existance, the best arguement being that he was earth incarnate, and this question popped up in my mind. Even if you dont believe Tom to be Ea it is obvious that he is a powerful individual, so whats his connection with a farmer in the shire?

Both took the hobbits in and protected them(or ferried them to safety). While farmer Maggot is a little more menacing than Tom he is quick to show he good natured side much like Tom.

Its odd that Tom would travel so far to see farmer Maggot who lives near the borders of the shire but still not close to Bombadil's Old Forest. Or that old farmer maggot who seems like a normal stay at home hobbit would venture to find bombadil.

And Bombadils reference to him being more important than he seems eliminates the idea that he is a mere acquitance of Bombadil's.

So anyone have any theories on Maggot's real importance? Could he be the mortal version of Bombadil much like men were the mortal version of Eru's children?