diff --git a/parm/config/config.init b/parm/config/config.init
index 2301b1cdc1..3e016fb248 100644
--- a/parm/config/config.init
+++ b/parm/config/config.init
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ export GDASINIT_DIR=${UFS_DIR}/util/gdas_init
 
 export CRES_HIRES=$CASE
 export CRES_ENKF=$CASE_ENKF
+export FRAC_ORO="yes"
 
 export RUNICSH=${GDASINIT_DIR}/run_v16.chgres.sh
 if [ "${RETRO:-"NO"}" = "YES" ] || [ "$CDUMP" = "gdas" ]; then
diff --git a/scripts/exgdas_atmos_gldas.sh b/scripts/exgdas_atmos_gldas.sh
index 596e049c3a..ba56e323aa 100755
--- a/scripts/exgdas_atmos_gldas.sh
+++ b/scripts/exgdas_atmos_gldas.sh
@@ -85,12 +85,8 @@ mkdir -p "${RUNDIR}/input"
 ln -fs "${GDAS}" "${RUNDIR}/input/GDAS"
 ln -fs "${EXECgldas:?}/gldas_model" "${RUNDIR}/LIS"
 
-# Set FIXgldas subfolder based on FRAC_GRID value
-if [[ "${FRAC_GRID:-".true."}" = ".true." ]] ; then
-  ln -fs "${FIXgldas}/frac_grid/FIX_T${JCAP}" "${RUNDIR}/FIX"
-else
-  ln -fs "${FIXgldas}/nonfrac_grid/FIX_T${JCAP}" "${RUNDIR}/FIX"
-fi
+# Set FIXgldas subfolder
+ln -fs "${FIXgldas}/frac_grid/FIX_T${JCAP}" "${RUNDIR}/FIX"
 
 #---------------------------------------------------------------
 ### 1) Get gdas 6-tile netcdf restart file and gdas forcing data
diff --git a/sorc/checkout.sh b/sorc/checkout.sh
index 64d27c94b5..ab7eac016f 100755
--- a/sorc/checkout.sh
+++ b/sorc/checkout.sh
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ mkdir -p "${logdir}"
 # The checkout version should always be a speciifc commit (hash or tag), not a branch
 errs=0
 checkout "gfs_utils.fd"    "https://github.com/NOAA-EMC/gfs-utils"              "0b8ff56"                    ; errs=$((errs + $?))
-checkout "ufs_utils.fd"    "https://github.com/ufs-community/UFS_UTILS.git"     "5b67e4d"                    ; errs=$((errs + $?))
+checkout "ufs_utils.fd"    "https://github.com/ufs-community/UFS_UTILS.git"     "4e673bf"                    ; errs=$((errs + $?))
 checkout "ufs_model.fd"    "https://github.com/ufs-community/ufs-weather-model" "${ufs_model_hash:-c22aaad}" ; errs=$((errs + $?))
 checkout "verif-global.fd" "https://github.com/NOAA-EMC/EMC_verif-global.git"   "c267780"                    ; errs=$((errs + $?))
 
diff --git a/ush/forecast_postdet.sh b/ush/forecast_postdet.sh
index 5332dee66e..b0feb12445 100755
--- a/ush/forecast_postdet.sh
+++ b/ush/forecast_postdet.sh
@@ -156,10 +156,6 @@ EOF
 
   #--------------------------------------------------------------------------
   # Grid and orography data
-  for n in $(seq 1 $ntiles); do
-    $NLN $FIXfv3/$CASE/${CASE}_grid.tile${n}.nc     $DATA/INPUT/${CASE}_grid.tile${n}.nc
-    $NLN $FIXfv3/$CASE/${CASE}_oro_data.tile${n}.nc $DATA/INPUT/oro_data.tile${n}.nc
-  done
 
   if [ $cplflx = ".false." ] ; then
     $NLN $FIXfv3/$CASE/${CASE}_mosaic.nc $DATA/INPUT/grid_spec.nc
@@ -167,20 +163,12 @@ EOF
     $NLN $FIXfv3/$CASE/${CASE}_mosaic.nc $DATA/INPUT/${CASE}_mosaic.nc
   fi
 
-  # Fractional grid related
-  if [ $FRAC_GRID = ".true." ]; then
-    OROFIX=${OROFIX:-"${FIX_DIR}/orog/${CASE}.mx${OCNRES}_frac"}
-    FIX_SFC=${FIX_SFC:-"${OROFIX}/fix_sfc"}
-    for n in $(seq 1 $ntiles); do
-      $NLN ${OROFIX}/oro_${CASE}.mx${OCNRES}.tile${n}.nc $DATA/INPUT/oro_data.tile${n}.nc
-    done
-  else
-    OROFIX=${OROFIX:-"${FIXfv3}/${CASE}"}
-    FIX_SFC=${FIX_SFC:-"${OROFIX}/fix_sfc"}
-    for n in $(seq 1 $ntiles); do
-      $NLN ${OROFIX}/${CASE}_oro_data.tile${n}.nc $DATA/INPUT/oro_data.tile${n}.nc
-    done
-  fi
+  OROFIX=${OROFIX:-"${FIX_DIR}/orog/${CASE}.mx${OCNRES}_frac"}
+  FIX_SFC=${FIX_SFC:-"${OROFIX}/fix_sfc"}
+  for n in $(seq 1 $ntiles); do
+    $NLN ${OROFIX}/oro_${CASE}.mx${OCNRES}.tile${n}.nc $DATA/INPUT/oro_data.tile${n}.nc
+    $NLN ${OROFIX}/${CASE}_grid.tile${n}.nc     $DATA/INPUT/${CASE}_grid.tile${n}.nc
+  done
 
   export CCPP_SUITE=${CCPP_SUITE:-"FV3_GFS_v16"}
   _suite_file=$HOMEgfs/sorc/ufs_model.fd/FV3/ccpp/suites/suite_${CCPP_SUITE}.xml