This week’s links include the plight of modern dairy farmers, the health risks of nitrate and pesticide exposure, and how the effects of Haiti’s devastating earthquake last January is affecting the country’s food supply today.

• The latest of the DOJ hearings in Madison, Wisconsin, finds that dairy farmers are being squeezed out of business as other sectors of the food industry demand a greater share of the consumer’s dollar.
• Check out the politics of staff appointment at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University.
• A documentary about kids and food politics called What’s on Your Plate? invokes interest in the youngest of advocates.
• A study in Epidemiology finds that long-term exposure to nitrates through food and water may increase a woman’s risk of thyroid disease.
• The New York Times looks at the saturation of Connecticut farmers’ markets and how innovative marketing techniques such as pins that entitle shoppers to discounts are entering the markets.
• Marion Nestle and the San Franciso Gate tackle The National Academies report, Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in the 21st Century,that contests industrial agriculture as a method to ensure a sustainable food supply.
• The latest idea in nutrition label education:  The larger the type size for each ingredient, the more there is of it in the food product.
• Slash Food discusses The Center for Science and the Public Interest’s report that uncovers the hidden dangers of food dyes.
• Explore Frontline’s investigation into the aftermath of January’s earthquake in Haiti and how the massive influx of food aid has altered the price of rice throwing the food supply chain out of whack.
• A study published in Nature suggests that organic agriculture provides better pest control and larger plants than conventional farming.
• Grist’s Tom Philpott calls for policy reform over consumer choice to help restructure the food system to support organic farming.
• And if you need another reason to go organic, a report from the Chemicals, Health and Environment Monitoring Trust affirms that pesticide exposure either before conception or during pregnancy increases the risk of childhood cancer.