The growth of the urban fringe is widespread throughout the United States, and is impacting many parts of the economy. Agriculture is of particular concern since fringe growth involves low-density development, and consumes a great deal of land relative to suburbanization. The impact of fringe growth on farm investment is considered using data collected from a survey of a random sample of Ohio farm producers. Our hypothesis is that farms in counties with fringe growth will exhibit decreased investment associated with the impermanence effect, or the premature idling of farmland due to urbanization pressures.