LEE — As someone who sees a better way to produce fuel while benefiting the economy, Dorn Cox is making strides in developing on-farm energy solutions.

The Strafford County Farm Bureau recently nominated Cox, 34, to participate in the New Hampshire Farm Bureau's Young Farmers Achievement Award competition this month.

He will be presenting his work with biofuels and the way biofuel production works into "diversified production in New England," he said.

Much of his work is based at Tuckaway Farm, his roughly 250-acre farm in Lee. He said the farm has been in the family since his parents acquired the land in 1972.

He grew up on the farm and lives on one part with his wife, Sarah, and son, Andreas, while his parents live on the other part.

Cox left the farm for several years, attending Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., for a degree in international agriculture and rural development, later working in New York City, Buenos Aires and Hong Kong.

"I felt what I'd seen elsewhere was so promising," he said of work with biofuels. "It didn't exist here."

Through involvement with groups like the Oyster River Biofuel Initiative and testifying for a bill to study the feasibility of production of biodiesel in New Hampshire, Cox has tried to bring more awareness to the state about the benefits of biofuels.

"New Hampshire is never going to have a refinery, but we have the ability to bring raw product in and process it here," he said, adding that while the distribution exists in the state, the processing takes place elsewhere.

He said bringing processing into the state would create jobs and something he called "monetary velocity."

"If you bring in this industry, for every dollar spent in the primary industry, the multiplier is six or seven," he said.

He said it would affect property taxes and income, as well as sales in farm equipment.

"There would be ripple effects throughout the economy," he said.

Cox has used sunflower seeds to produce feed and fuel, and has done work with sustainable agriculture and research education through the University of New Hampshire to plant other crops between the sunflowers as well.

He said this creates more biomass that can be turned into the soil to build soil health and feed poultry, which in turn puts nitrogen back into the soil.

All of his farm equipment runs primarily on biodiesel, which he said is no different in performance from standard diesel fuel, but with better emissions.

"Emissions are greatly improved," he said. "It's immediately obvious when you're using (the equipment). There is no nasty smell."

In the summer, he said, the equipment can run solely on the biodiesel, but in the winter, colder temperatures make it more viscous, so it must be mixed with some diesel fuel.

He said he will be working more closely with UNH as he pursues his doctorate in the coming year. He also said he will be working on publishing the results of his work.