Ogur Turks were good farmers at the same time. The principal characteristic that distinguished them from the Eastern Turks (Huns- Gokturk, Uighur, Oguz peoples) was the dependence on this widespread agriculture besides their mercantilism (See above the section of History). However, it has been observed that the Eastern Turks were occupied with agriculture in the arable fields suitable for cultivation. Although most of the steppe lands that should be considered different from the deserts were covered with grasslands, there were some arable fields suitable for agriculture. For example; according to the Chinese resources, the Huns cultivated wheat and maize. A Chinese almanac stated that the Hun lands did not yield any crops for a year due to the severe strong conditions of the weather. Similarly, the same resources mentioned about a Hun wheat type and a kind of Hun beans. It has been alleged that the cultivation of cereals was carried out in the Altay and Sayan Mountains for at least 3 thousands of years on the basis of the archaeological excavations. Each family had a land that it cultivated and irrigated within the Gokturk State.
Kapagan Kagan had stipulated the provision of the submission of maize seeds with the amount of 100 thousands of hu (12500 tonnes) by China. This historical information has been confirmed with the archaeological excavations. In the period of Huns, there were some irrigational channels that were opened in the Altay regions (within the environs of Çulışman river in Başkaus). The channel that was opened in the Tötö River and the Ak-tura channel that was located within the environs were the indicators of agriculture in the Altay Mountains. Various plough irons (imported from China), reaping hooks and millstones were found in the places called as Ivolgi and Ilmova between the river of Selenga - Lake Baikal. Furthermore, there were some hollows that were used for the preservation of the cereals. Some shovels and ploughs were found in the sepulchres pertaining to the Gokturk people within the region of Selenga. Several regular irrigational channels were also opened in this period. It was understood that the Tötü Channel was also used in the period of the Gokturk State and the length of this channel was nearly 10 kilometres. It was based on such a high technology that the Russians decided to use this channel as the same in the year of 1935. Some of Karluk and Oguz residential places were irrigated in the same manner.
The economy of the Steppe state was supported with the taxes that were collected from the people apart from the annual taxes and gifts that were taken from the defeated or subject states. There were some special officials that collected taxes within the Asian Hun Empire. The left T7o-ki "king" had waged war against the Mongolian O-huan people who dared to dismiss these officials from their regions. Gokturk and Oguz people would call their finance officials and collector as "amga" (or ımga) and they would name the state treasury as "ağlık". The collection must have been carried out in kind.
The Slav tribes would give a sword or a sable skin coat (money was rarely collected) per house or plough in the Khazar people and the Bulgarians would give a sable skin coat per house as a tax. One of the great income sources of Kuman people was composed of the taxes and customs tariffs that they collected -through the busy trade route among the Volga basin-Crimea (Sugdak port)- Black Sea- Trebizond. Furthermore, in the wide Altay regions, the iron was under the control of Huns and Gokturk people, the saltpans in the Maroş basin were under the control of the Bulgarians and the gold and silver minerals in the Caucasus were under the control of the Khazar people. There has not been any coin found pertaining to the Asian Hun people. Some Chinese coins were found in some of the Turkish sepulchres. It seems that the Turkish coins emerged in the period of the Gokturk State (Turgiş people). These coins could sometimes bear some seals as required by the Turkish traditions. Some of these coins were written in Turkish language with Sogd letters and some of them were written in Sogd language.