At the Washington County Board of Supervisors meeting, representatives of the Hudson River Highway Project described plans to aggregate Upstate produce for transport by barge to New York City and asked local logistics experts to help develop the plan.

Charlie Devine, speaking for the Hudson River Highway Project, said the group has been working for three years to develop river freight service to move farm goods to market and that recent private-sector interest from a company identified in materials as Carver Marine could provide barging capacity. Devine said the group is not seeking county funding but rather “a few really intelligent logistics people” to help structure the operation.

Olivia Fuller, a fourth-generation Fort Anne farmer, described how the project could help diversified, direct-to-consumer operations like hers reach a larger market without the up-front capital needed for long-distance refrigerated shipping. Fuller said she has transitioned part of her family farm from dairy to direct meat and lamb sales, operates a self-serve farm store and manages roughly 300 acres, and sees New York City religious and seasonal demand for lamb as a potential sales window.

The presenters described prior studies and other regional efforts, including work with a Rochester-based food hub and Oneida County partners, and said the project aims to make the logistics as simple as a farmer loading a trailer and receiving payment once product is sold downstream. The presenters left written materials with the board and invited supervisors and residents to provide contact information if they have relevant expertise; they emphasized the effort would not pay participants and called it a volunteer-led planning effort.

No formal board action or funding request followed the remarks; the presentation was recorded under privilege of the floor during public comment.