A sprayer boom breakaway joint with a staged release and forced lift system is implemented with an agricultural sprayer. The system provides positive locking to restrain a breakaway joint against movement from a neutral position until an impact with a breakaway boom segment provides sufficient force to overcome the neutral holding force. Once released from the neutral position, the breakaway boom segment may at least initially experience a lesser holding force that biases the breakaway boom segment toward the neutral position and the breakaway boom segment may move along a path that has an upward movement component in addition to a rearward movement component.