Amazon Prime, Spotify, Audible, Netflix, SiriusXM … what do all these subscription services have in common?

Cassidy Woolsey

Managing Editor / Ag Proud – Idaho

Cassidy is a contributing editor to Progressive Cattle and Progressive Forage magazines.

Email Cassidy Woolsey

They’re notoriously tricky to cancel and easy to forget about altogether.

Just the other day, my husband and I found ourselves navigating the depths of Disney+ in search of the cancel button. We decided it was time to cut back on a few streaming services, and I guess our toddler's was first on the chopping block. (Priorities, right?) Yet, amid our search, we ended up getting sidetracked, and let’s just say, she still boasts a better entertainment selection than we do.

According to a 2022 Forbes article, the average consumer juggles five retail subscriptions and nearly five paid streaming subscriptions. When asked how much they were paying, consumers underestimated their subscription costs by an average of $133 per month, or $1,596 per year. Yikes!

Even worse: The same poll found that 42% of people had stopped using a subscription but forgot they were still paying. While I’m generalizing to some extent here, it often seems that some companies make it easy to enroll in subscription-based services but confusing and complicated to cancel.

Now, you might wonder, what am I getting at besides the glaring reality that we all probably spend way too much on these services? Unlike the subscriptions we have grown accustomed to, your Ag Proud – Idaho subscription is different.

Perhaps you’re reading this and wondering how this magazine ended up in your mailbox. You never formally signed up for it, yet you enjoy receiving it. Maybe you did subscribe, but you can’t remember when you did. Or maybe you started picking it up at your local co-op because, for some reason, it stopped arriving in the mail. Whatever the case, it's important to know that if you don't tell us you want it every couple of years, it won't magically appear in your mailbox forever.

When we launched the publication in 2019, we sent it to qualified individuals in the Idaho farming, ranching and dairy industries. Subscriptions have always been free and valid for a couple of years, so even if you never formally signed up, we wanted you to experience what we offer in hopes that you’d eventually request it.

So if you like what you see, I would encourage you to take a moment to renew or subscribe by visiting our website or giving us a call at (208) 324-7513. Doing so will ensure that you will never miss an issue. After all, Ag Proud – Idaho isn't just a magazine; it's a community, and we want you to be a part of it.