Biological Farming - New?

Yesterday I was watching the Landline program on ABC titled Biological Boom. American Gary Zimmer was talking to Australian farmers paid seminar style about the benefits of biological farming.
The programs style was introducing biological farming as a new thing!
I was very surprised how this was being taken up by farmers as something new.
If you'd have asked any soil scientist or agronomist at any Australian university both metropolitan and regional you would have got better more relevant information with regard to the Australian conditions and biological farming for free. These farmers sat and listened as if this was new and wonderful. So my question is why is this kind of information well known and available by a back yard food gardener like me and not known to farmers that produce our food on a large scale - and why aren't the universities out there telling them this information?

I've seen this style of new beaut way! from some permaculture groups who bring out so called experts billed like rock stars to speak. They then have gullible people pay big money to get the so called new information. These people would be better off talking to their neighbour whose been growing food for decades in their own area for free. make a connection and learn more relevant information.