FRANKFORT — A 15-year-old sophomore at West Jessamine County High School has turned an FFA project into a tomato-growing operation that will reach the shelves at top retailers this fall.

Alex Tingle of Nicholasville will be the focus of promotional efforts related to a restaurant partnership in northern Kentucky and Remke Markets, and the fruit of his labors will appear statewide in jars of salsa on shelves of more than 100 Save-A-Lot stores.

“Alex is just one more example of hard work and the support of farm families that make Kentucky Proud succeed so dramatically,” Commissioner Richie Farmer said.

“You’ve heard me talk about teamwork and Alex stands as that kind of example,” Farmer said. “He took a classroom project to the top of the retail market by networking with my team at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and other Kentucky Proud members.”

Tingle started a major tomato-growing operation as a freshman project, working with his FFA advisor and ag teacher, Ryan Thomas.

“What Alex proposed as a freshman is one of the best project proposals that I’ve seen because of the size, scope and amount of work,” Thomas said.

“He worked many hours into the night. I would have to call him in at one in the morning, asking him to quit working and come to bed so he could get some sleep before school,” said his mom, Kathy Fields, who is a principal at West Jessamine County Middle School.

Alex initially planned to have 100 tomato plants at most and figured that he would sell at the local farmers’ market. But Thomas’ ag class didn’t sell all their plants from the school greenhouse.

At the end of the school year, Alex informed his mom he was going to bring home all the unsold plants.

“I thought he was talking about another 40 or 50 plants,” Kathy said. “It was 900 total plants, including 700 tomatoes.”

Alex planted everything by hand. He did not have a tractor. He tilled a massive garden that had been idle pasture for 13 years.

Of the 700 tomato plants, 425 are Roma tomatoes, perfect for the pulp that salsa-maker Millard Long of Boone County needs for a number of private-label products he processes.

“As soon as I saw all the blooms – flowers everywhere – I panicked,” Alex said.

The Tingles know Kevan Evans in Georgetown, owner of Evans Orchard, which also has a country store. Evans couldn’t buy that many tomatoes, but he knew Millard Long through a connection made by Roger Snell of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.

Alex e-mailed Long, who visited the Tingles, offering to buy all of Alex’s tomato harvest and even some of his peppers.

“For somebody just getting started, he did a thorough job,” Long said. “He had a plan. He took it upon himself to find a market for all of it. He did all of the work by hand. He solicited the help of friends. I’m very impressed with his resourcefulness.”

Long said he started his processing business with a firm commitment to Kentucky growers. All of his private-label sauces, salsas, apple butter and other products are directly sourced from Kentucky farms.

“Alex is 15 now,” Long said. “In 10 years, I may be retired. In 10 years, Alex will be 25 and just the kind of person to take the reins of his own company, processing his own products. His work ethic is what will make the difference.”

Long closed the deal with Alex after inspecting the farm and seeing that Alex used city water, drip irrigation and had not used any pesticides in the garden during the growing season. In fact, Alex and Ryan are now linking up with Michael Fitzgerald at KDA to see if the entire operation can be certified organic, beginning with the plants and fertilizer in the greenhouse next season.

Alex plans to use the money from Long’s purchases for college, where he wants to major in agriculture.

Long was a key supplier of one of the single largest transactions in Kentucky Proud’s history when Save-A-Lot ordered four tractor-trailer loads of Long’s salsa for its 102 Kentucky stores.

Alex’s tomatoes will be part of the product. The tomatoes also will go to a major partnership of restaurants in northern Kentucky that are launching a series of retail sauces, salsas and special recipes.

Alex traces the hard work of farming to grandparents who raised tobacco in Scott and Jessamine counties, starting with mules.

Long said he has a soft spot for future farmers like Alex and anyone else in the business now. “My parents were farmers, but they had to give it up and go to the city to work,” Long said.