Franklin County remains strongly agricultural in appearance and economy. In addition to the traditional small scale, diverse family farms, county agriculture is modern and competitive. Major crops include corn, wheat, soybeans, and hay. Despite continuing inroads of residential development around the towns, farmers continue to harvest record crops of corn and wheat in the county. Corn, wheat, and soybeans are typically planted in a rotational sequence which yields three crops in two calendar years. Very large corn and wheat fields can be observed by a drive from the I-24 Pelham exit along the new Route 50 connector highway to Winchester. Other county crops include cotton, sorghum, canola, sunflowers, cabbage, and tobacco.
Although not an "official" county crop, locally grown marijuana is a serious if illegal dimension of the agricultural economy. The climate, favorable growing season, excellent soils, and isolation of the numerous coves and stream and river bottoms combine to produce very good conditions for growing this product. It is estimated by some law enforcement officials that the annual value of this Tennessee "crop" exceeds the value of the other field crops of the state. As the small farms of the cove and sloped areas of the county have become economical marginal and uncompetitive with the large-field farms of the valley, marijuana becomes a tempting and lucrative cash crop for some. A few dozen of these plants successfully harvested can produce a clear profit far exceeding that of several hundred acres of corn. In late summer when this crop is at its peak, drug enforcement helicoptors can sometimes be seen hovering in the coves making visual searches for the illegal plants.
Franklin County remains heavily forested and several mills prepare and ship lumber and other forest products. Several large areas of the county are owned or leased by national lumber corporations. The rich hardwood forests of the area continue to yield high quality hardwoods such as those shipped by Thompson Appalachian Hardwoods in Huntland. A common sight in the county is the local logging operation harvesting a few dozen acres of timber. A recent harvest downslope of the Sewanee-Cowan road can be noted a few hundred yards below the University of the South gate. Lumber yards and small to medium size mills can be found in several areas of the county. A typical small-scale mill can be observed at the intersection of the new Highway 64 connector road and Liberty Church Road. In nearby Marion County along I-24 between the foot of Monteagle mountain and Kimball, two mills can be observed. One near the Battle Creek Church of God is a traditional sawmill. The other mill near the Martin Springs Exit mills and ships complete log homes. Log trucks are as frequently seen as cement trucks on the local roads.
The fertile fields of Middle Tennessee and the generally mild climate has made the region the center of the American landscape nursery industry. Several large nursery businesses are located in the county. One nursery can be seen on either side of Highway 64 immediately west of Winchester. Many smaller nurseries can be found throughout the valley areas of the county. Unlike other agricultural operations which can be converted to a technology-intensive basis, nursery work remains very much a "hands-on" process. The labor intensive nature of nursery work has attracted many Hispanic workers to the Franklin County area. As the traditional labor market for the nursery industry began to evaporate in the 1970's, the void was filled by migrant and then increasingly local Hispanic workers. The increasing presence of these workers and their families has resulted in a shift in food stocking patterns in local supermarkets. Prior to the mid-1980's it was difficult to obtain locally the traditional ingredients for preparing Mexican or "Tex-Mex" food. Today, reflecting both national trends and local settlement patterns, such food items are available in wide variety in local stores.
The small Tyson logo signboards can be frequently observed at the driveway gate to area farms belonging to independent contract growers who raise chickens for Tyson. With the steady income these contracts provide, growers are able to remain on the family farm. Tyson Foods maintains a food processing facility on Route 50 toward Pelham where the new highway crosses the Elk River. Tyson also operates a large feed mill in Estill Springs.
Several local farms provide breeding for Arabians, Walking Horses, and Quarter Horses. Horse breeding is a strongly traditional Tennessee pursuit. The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration in nearby Shelbyville sustains a wide local interest in breeding and training walking horses. A couple of local farms though small are regional showpieces. The high value of the individual horses dictates that horse farms generally maintain the best board or synthetic board fencing to be found in the county. A dramatic white fencing can be observed at the Gamble farm in the Belvedere community while an elegant but quiet fencing scheme can be observed along Greenhaw Road off of the Route 50 connector.
Recently, there has been some local interest in exotic animals and travellers will frequently see pens holding ostriches, emu, llama, bison, Asian water buffalo, and exotic sheep and goats. Both ostrich and emu can be observed in a pen along the road between Sewanee and Cowan. Emu "ranching" is in the germinal stage around the county as demand for the flesh of this large bird increases among people seeking low-cholesterol alternatives to beef.