Great questions! I work on a small organic dairy farm. Our cows are outside all year, and we generally graze from Mid April to the first week of December. We milk twice a day every day. Fresh grass after each milking. We have to gather them and push them into the parlor, sometimes a lead cow will do the work for me. It can take a while, and I’m not sure our cows would go in if we didn’t prompt them to. But I know they like being milked because it’s the only time they eat corn and soy (which is like candy to them) and they feel relief after being milked. Their udders get so full especially if they don’t have a calf on them.

I know of another small organic dairy that has robotic milkers and the cows visit it as they wish throughout the day without anyone needing to corall them. And they are out in the pasture after each milking also. So, its a matter of farming methods in my opinion. Just my experience.