Need a quick rundown on the week's news? We've rounded up a few things you may find of interest.

1. Mo Hailong plead guilty Jan. 27 in federal court in Iowa on charges of conspiracy to steal U.S. corn seeds from DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto. – Farm Futures

2. ChemChina, based in Beijing, made a $43 billion bid for Switzerland-based Syngenta. The all cash deal appears to be a done deal, but now goes to regulators around the world for approval. – Farm Futures

3. Seaboard Foods is purchasing a portion of Christensen Farms’ hog inventory, a feed mill and truck washes for a cash purchase price equal to $71.1 million. – Feedstuffs

Corn seed thief convicted, Syngenta sold, cotton is no oilseed and news from the campaign trail.

4. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said he doesn’t have the authority to declare cottonseed an oilseed. Cotton farmers wanted access to the same farm programs as other oilseeds. – Reuters

5. From the campaign trail: Two more Republican candidates dropped out of the race Wednesday, after Iowa caucus results started sorting winners from non-winners. – USA Today

6. Food imported from countries with lower GDP poses higher risks, according to a study done by researchers at University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. – Farm Futures

7. WTF happened to golden rice? Golden rice is an idea that looms just beyond reality. Here's a kind of 'where is it now' look at the technology. Mother Jones

And your bonus:

USDA renewed its Agricultural Air Quality Task Force, which promotes research and finds cost-effective air quality improvement methods. Experts from 20 states serve on the task force - USDA