TURNING JUNK INTO

MASTERPIECES

Youngster refurbishes materials into sellable items

Justin Briggs, who recently graduated from Stratford High School, has formed his own niche business, JB Craft, Fab and Repair, on his parents’ Jersey dairy farm in the town of Frankfort.

The young adult utilizes old materials no longer being used on the Briggs Family Farm, transforming them into usable items to sell.

For example, he’ll make homemade fire pits/grills by welding together tire rims from vehicle tires no longer being used. Then, he’ll use a torch to cut a large opening in them for people to place firewood inside. Finally, he’ll cover it with a layer of fire-resistant paint before he sells it to the public on either his Facebook or Instagram social media account.

He learned his mechanical skills from growing up and working on the family farm with his father, Jim Briggs, who himself grew up on a Jersey dairy farm in Medway, Mass. Justin is now the mechanic on his family’s farm, but he’ll still confide in his father when there’s a large maintenance job to perform on a tractor or other farm equipment, because Jim Briggs still has many more years of experience working on a dairy farm than his son does.

Justin Briggs will also use old pallets lying around on the farm, or he’ll scour local flea markets, like the one held at the Edgar Steam Show, and farm auctions to find wood materials to make into usable items for sale. He’ll utilize power tools on his parents’ farm to create wooden signs, coffee tables, paper towel and box holders, cat scratchers, shelves, keepsake boxes, flower pots and vases.

He paints wood pallets blue with a white stripe to support emergency medical workers, black with a green stripe for park rangers and black with a yellow stripe for tow truck drivers.

Justin Briggs credits his years spent in the Stratford Middle/High School FFA program for helping him develop life skills needed to form his own business. He was a Stratford FFA member from sixth through 12th grade, and he was an FFA officer from seventh grade until he graduated from high school this May.

“Being a member of the FFA taught me leadership skills and how I could get more involved in my community,” he said.

He volunteers at the Stratford FFA June Dairy Breakfast every year, and although he’s bummed the breakfast isn’t going to occur for the second straight year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he plans to continue volunteering at the breakfast as a member of the Stratford FFA Alumni.

For now, Justin Briggs will continue helping his parents on the family’s Jersey dairy farm located northwest of Stratford. He’d also like to find a full-time job working at a local welding manufacturer or cabinet making shop. He also helps Briggs Family Farm sell to the public — either quarter, half or whole beef raised on the farm, which is processed at Pinter’s Packing Plant in Dorchester.